Improvement in steam-carriages for plows



UNITED STATES TENT OEEroE.

MIEABEAU N. LYNN, on NEw ALBANY, INDIANA, AssrGNoE To HrMsELE AND EDWARD H. MANN, on sAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-CARRIAGES FOR PLOWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,307, dated July 25, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIRABEAU N. LYNN, of New Albany, in the county of Floyd and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Garriages for Plow-V ing and other purposes; and I do hereby declare Vthat the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this speciication, in which- Figure l, plate 1, is an elevation of one side.`

of the improved steam-carriage. Fig. 2, plate 1, is a longitudinal section through the carriage, with certain parts detached. Fig. 3, plate 2, is a bottom view of the carriage. Fig. 4, plate 3, is a front view of one of the propelling-legs. Fig. 5, plate 3, shows the manner of constructing the drums for raising and depressing the propellinglegs. Fig. 6, plate 3, shows a different mode of operating the propelling-legs.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements on steam-carriages adapted for use on common roads, and also adapted for plowing land and other purposes. The improvements which I have made consist: 1st, in the manner of constructing, arranging', and operating jointed pushing or propellinglegs, as will be hereinafter explained. 2d, in a removable hollow section of the hollow frame of thecarriage. 3d, in an arrangement of the cylinder and'piston-rods, the latter having wrist-pin connections on each end, as and for the purposes hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will explain its construe# tion and operation.

A3 a platform, A1, .is applied, upon which is mounted the steam-boiler and its furnace D, and also a water-tank, A2, as shown in Fig. l. The carriage-frame above described is sustained by four transporting-wheels, B B C C, the former two of which are large wheels with broad treads,

and the latter two are small guiding-wheels The wheels B are applied on a transverse axle, B arranged near the front end of the carriage, which axle may be tubular. The wheels C are connected to the removable transverse tube A2 by means of yokes G1, drums (l2, and central spindles, which latter pass up through the tube A3 and turn freely. The drums (l2 are hollow, and receive in them India-rubber or other suitable springs, on which the rear end of the carriage-trame rests. Around the two drums U2 C2 a chain, a, is passed, which is connected to the lower end of a vertical steering-shaft, G, carrying on its upper end a hand-wheel. By these means the two wheels G C can be turned in any direction required, and the carriage can be properly guided. In front of the transverse portion A3 of the carriage-frame is a crank-shaft, J, which is sustained by the hangers m. This shaft J extends transversely across the fra-me beneath the same,.and has four cams, s s s s, applied on it, so as to operate at every quarterrevolution upon the pushing-legs. The cranks 7c le on the extremities of the shaft J are at right angles to each other, and to the wrist-pin of each crank a piston-rod, r, of an oscillating engine, S, is connected, as shown in Figs. l and 3. The oscillating engines a-re mounted in suitable frames on top of the carriage, and are in communication with the steam-boiler. The upper ends of the piston-rods r r pass through the ends of the cylinders and are adapted for being applied to cranks on a pulley-shaft which may be mounted on the carriage. Such a pulley-shaft may be employed for transmitting power and motion to various kinds of machinery. A pulley or belt wheel may also be applied to the crank-shaft J beneath the carriage-frame. In front ofthe crank-shaft J is a transverse tube, It, which is secured to the longitudinal portions of the carriage-rame, and adapted for strengthening this 4 frame as well as to serve as a means for attach ing to it the rear gang of pushing-legs. This cross-tube R has applied loosely on it short thimbles y, corresponding in number tothe number of pushing-legs which is attached to the tube It; and to a hat plate, b1, on each thimble ff, the upper section E of a pushing-leg is pivoted, as shown clearly in Fig. 4. The upper end of each section E is slottedand adapted to receive the plate b1, which allows the pushing-leg lateral motion. Instead of the radial plate or guide b1, the thimble y, and the pivot, the upper end of each pushing-leg may be attached directly to the cross-tube R-by means of a ball-and-socket joint, which will allow universal motion to the pushing-leg. The lower end of the upper section of each pushing-leg is slotted, and receives a disk, b2, which is secured to the upper end of the lower section E1; and, by means of a transverse pivot 'passed' centrally through the disk b2 and through the contiguous ends of the pushing-leg sections, these two sections are hinged together and allowed forward and backward articulation. In front of the pushing-legs last described another set of pushing-legs is applied to the front crosstube of the carriage-frame. The front set of legs is constructed and arranged in every respect like the rear set of legs. Both gangs of legs are connected together-that is to say, a rear leg is attached to a front leg, in the same line with it, by means of a pitman, c, and clips c c, which latter are connected to their respective legs by means of the same pivots which connect together the leg-section s. To the pitman e of each pair of pushing-legs the front end of a connecting-rod, f f', is pivoted, by means of a clip, cl. The rear end of each connecting-rod is attached to the front head of a yoke, N, which receives transversely through it the crank-shaft J, and vertically through it a cam, s, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Thus it will be seen that each cam s moves a pair of pushing-legs, and thatthe legs are acted on directly at the articulations of their sections. The lower end of each leg is enlarged, and may have the form of a horseshoe, or spurs may be formed on each leg, either one of which plans will prevent the leg from slipping when force is applied to it to move the .machine N ear the lower end and at the front part of each leg' yabove described an eye, i, is attached, from which a chain, g, extends to a flanged drum, a, (see Fig. 5,) on a cross-shaft, O. Each pair of legs is attached in this manner to av flanged drum, which latter is fast on the shaft O. Near one end of the sha-ft O a hand-lever, X, is loosely applied to it, which lever extends up through the platform A1, and has a paw] fastened to it that engages with a ratchet-wheel, a3, keyed on shaft O. A pawl, c, which extends from axle B to and engages with the teeth of wheel a3, prevents the shaft O from turning backward. By oscillating lever X the chains g of all the pushing-legs can be wound upon their drums n, and the legs thus lifted free from the ground, and, by detaching pawl o from its wheel a3, the shaft O, with all the drums a, may be turned back and the pushing-legs depressed. For the purpose of turning the machine short around, a-nd also for backing the machine, I attach pushingleg sections E2 to the disk b2 of those pushinglegs which are nearest the transporting-wheels B B, as shown in Fig. 1. These sections E2 are connected by chains g to drums a2, (see Fig. 5,) which are applied loosely on the shaft O and held by means of a pawl, a5, and ratchet-wheel al. By turning the drums n2 the chains g can be wound upon them and the pushing-leg sections E2 raised free from the ground. When the sections E are used the forward pushing-legs must of course be raised free from the ground.

It will be seen from the above description: 1st, that the hollow frame is constructed with a removable section, A3, which allows the attachment to the machine of a secondary frame for increasing the capacity of the'machine. The secondary frame will have guiding-wheels applied to it to take the place of the guidingwheels C C, which are attached to and removed with the transverse tubular bar A3. 2d, that the cams s, which operate the pushing-legs, are adjusted on their shaft J at quarters, so as to communicate a regular and continuous movement to the legs. In my patent dated on the 31st day of May, 1870, the cams were so arranged that they acted alternately on two pairs of legs, which gave an intermittent progressive motion to the machine, but this is not the case with the present arrangement. 3d, that the piston-rods of the oscillating engines may be detached from the crank-shaft which moves the pushing-legs, and the upper ends of these piston-rods attached to wrist-pins on a crank-shaft .which may be mounted on top of the carriage.

Thus the engines can be used for operating various kinds of machinery. 4th, that the pushing-legs are jointed in such manner that they operate to move the machine somewhat on the principle of toggle-levers, and will accommo- 'date themselves to all inequalities of surface l? attached, by means of curved beams P, to`

the crank J. The attaching ends of the beams Il have eyes formed on them, through which the shaft J passes freely. By means of chains al attached to a winding-up drum, a2, in combination with a hand-lever, a?, and a ratchet and pawl, the plows can belifted out of the ground.

Vhile I contemplate using plows with the machine, still I shall not confine the use of the machine for plowing, as it is designed for all purposes where power is required. In Fig. 6 of the drawing I have represented-a modiiication of the plan shown in. Figs. 1, 2, and 3 for operating pushing-legs. In Fig. Git will be seen that the pushing-legs 1 are connected, by ball-andsocket joints, 2, to a rectilinear reciprocating bar, 3, workin g through guides 4 4, and operated by the piston-rod5 of a steam-cylinder, 6.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The removable hollow section A3 of the hollow frame, substantially as and for the purpose described. l

2. The oscillating cylinders S with piston-rods r, when the rods are furnished with a coupling at each end, in combination with the steam-carriage, substantially as described, and for transmitting power from each end of cylinders, as de- 5. The combination of the described elevating sired and set forth. and depressing devices With the jointed legs7 3. The pushing-legs, attached to the carriage substantially as described.

by means of laterally and longitudinallyarticu- MIRABEAU N. LYNN. lating,` joints, substantially as described.

4. The combination of jointed backing-legs Witnesses: with the jointed pushing-legs,A substantially as M. W. GONDIFF, described. D. R. SCOTT. 

